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Whew! Very, very productive morning here! My new sleeping quarters are all set and they are great. This is a big improvement for me. I will have a dark, quiet, cool place to sleep during the day. The cot fits perfectly and is very comfortable. I made a blind that fits the skylight very well and is easy to place and remove. I shut the doors, turn on the fan, and voila. I am looking forward to sleeping there! Still loads to do in terms of cleaning this place, but the hard part is done.

I have worked up a powerful hunger. Parsnips are roasting in the oven, and I'm going to have some Niman Ranch sausages. They are delicious but so pricey that I save them for special occasions. I also gave the cats an extra meal to help them with the stress of dealing with my project. This kind of disturbance is difficult for them. Cats don't like changes to their environment and the especially don't like loud noises and vacuum cleaners. Neither do I, for that matter, but I can accept them.

Colder today, probably 30's. I still plan to do some barefooting. It will be good for toughening up my feet.

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I was eyeballing some parsnips the other day and wondering how I could prepare them - have never eaten them myself. Reading your journal is giving me the oomph to give it a shot. Glad you have figured out a good spot for your cot - I missed the stuff leading up to this. Is this for sleeping in the day?

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My new sleeping quarters are all set and they are great. I will have a dark, quiet, cool place to sleep during the day. The cot fits perfectly and is very comfortable. I made a blind that fits the skylight very well and is easy to place and remove. I shut the doors, turn on the fan, and voila.

Sounds like a cave!

Female 55
Starting wt: 198, Goal: 135, Current with PB: 165
Started at a size 16 down to loose 10

With PB my asthma has improved, low back pain is gone, & I've got more energy

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It is a cave! Yes, it is! I love it. I've already been lying in it, taking a break or two from my housekeeping chores, which are protracted and vigorous. It is going to be great. And yes, it is for day sleeping. I will still sleep under the stars when I am here at night, but I need a place that is dark for daytime sleeping. The mask is just not doing it, and it is too hot besides.

Get those parsnips and prepare them like this:

Here's what you need:

A pre-heated oven to 400 degrees
Parchment paper lined baking sheet (this makes clean up SO MUCH EASIER!)
2 parsnips, peeled, cut up into fry like shapes
Your fat of your choice. About a tablespoon, maybe more, melted. I used wild boar lard that I just bought.
Turmeric
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
Powdered garlic

Drizzle said fat all over your parsnip fries. Toss 'em with your hands to coat. Liberally sprinkle salt, pepper, turmeric, paprika, garlic. I eyeball all this. Toss to coat again. You should have a very lovely bright yellow and red mix of parsnips, my friend!

Toss these in your very hot oven. Check 'em after 20 minutes. At this point, I added a bit more lard and stirred/tossed the fries around.

Naturally I did not actually follow the recipe, but the bones are there. Use whatever spices you like in whatever quantity. I recommend generous amounts of everything except salt. You don't need much salt. You might not need as much oven time as the recipe calls for, be sure to check. I leave them in for 20 minutes, turn them and leave them for another 5-10 minutes. They are sweet on the inside and crunchy and savory on the outside. They will vanish into your tummies in no time. And buy the younger, smaller parsnips. The big woody ones aren't as good.

I ran around the yard barefoot again. Went down to the water and laid on the ground. The sun is very shiny today although it is cold, maybe 35 F. It was great. I feel really rejuvenated, seriously. Maybe it is just the cold, but I feel like I plugged myself into an outlet and got recharged. I carried in five loads of firewood, barefoot the whole time. My feet are going to be so strong.

I'm glad you like my journal, Sabine. I hope some people are reading it and maybe will get some ideas.

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The smells in my home are unbelievable. A trip to the grocery store yielded pork butt, ground beef, and some root veg. I have chicken bones et al simmering away and carnitas and spiced patties in the oven. If any vegetarians walk by, they will be toast.

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Just read an article in the New Yorker about Aaron Swartz, the supergeek who killed himself in January. He had ulcerative colitis, was frail and sickly. This is what he ate: only white or yellow food. Pasta, tofu, cheese, bread, rice, eggs, cheese pizza. He wouldn't touch fruit and only ate vegetables in extremely expensive restaurants. Makes me shudder. I'm not implying anything, the guy had a lot of stuff going on, but really, what an outrageously horrible diet. That someone could be so brilliant, making millions of $$$$$ and eating like that? Actually, the way he is described in the story reminds me of Christopher McCandless, the young man who was the subject of the book and film Into The Wild. It is all so sad, such a pointless waste.

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Yeah, the switching is hard and sometimes harder. But it is the only way to have a life. I think I unconsciously sabotaged myself by having some expectations for the morning. I wanted to get in a swim and a couple of errands, which basically guaranteed that I wouldn't fall asleep at a reasonable time. Was meeting a friend to go to the opera at 11 AM, but I didn't get up until 9! The opera was much fun, though, very enjoyable, and I had a great conversation with some other ladies during the 3 (!) intermissions. There are so many interesting people around here.

Tentative plans to see the NewMan tomorrow, but I don't know what to do. It's up to me to figure out something but it can't really cost money, so that is somewhat limiting. I would like to invite him over here for lunch/dinner but I can't think of any tactful way to let him know that it is JUST dinner and not to stay. I guess there isn't really a tactful way to say that.

When I got home from the opera I kicked off my shoes and ran around in the yard. Then I brought in some firewood. My feet were pretty cold by this time! It's cold today. But the ground feels so good. I was thinking of ballet slippers, must check into those. The thing is that plastic or rubber insulates you from the ground, which is a limiting factor in Fives or minimal shoes. There are basically no shoes with leather soles anymore. But at the opera I noticed the diva was wearing what looked like ballet slippers. I'm pretty sure they don't have plastic soles! Must look into that.

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Went a little crazy. I had so much energy. Ran all over the property, down to the water and up again. Found a really amazing tree that I never noticed before. It's huge! I tried to climb it but failed. I will one day, though. Ran around some more, jumped around. Came inside and opened a bottle of wine. Called a friend, who said he would do anything for me! Not going to call him out though. Ate a big plate of carnitas with all the fixings. Called a request in to a jazz radio program. Ordered a pair of ballet slippers after reading a number of reviews from ladies who wear them all the time and say the world would be a better place if we all wore them. A whopping $19 including shipping!

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Slept in my cave last night. Figured it was time to really give it a try. It is very nice for sleeping. I didn't put the blackout in the skylight, although I closed the doors. The stars were very bright and I woke during the night and saw one of the dippers, probably the little one. The bed is perfectly comfortable. The only downside is that I can hear the furnace come on as I am right over it. It is relatively quiet but maybe sounds louder because it is otherwise so still and silent here. But not a big deal. And for day sleeping, the furnace will not be coming on very much any more. After I got up, though, I happened to walk by and saw one of the nasty insects that has been plaguing me lately and that I thought I had eradicated. Right on the wall near where my head had been lying 15 minutes before! I hate these bugs! Some type of beetle-like thing. Probably came in on the firewood. Anyway. I swept all around once again (I had washed the area thoroughly) and sprayed lavender around. I'm going to put some bay leaves around also, I just got a fresh batch on sale at the co-op. Bugs hate bay leaves.

Think I might ask for a rain check from NewMan. I am just not motivated. I don't feel like talking and we aren't at a place yet where we can just sit comfortably without talking. I would like to see a film but I don't know if he has the money to see one. And I really, really, really want to go swimming. I have missed out the last couple of days because of my house projects and sleeping schedule. Wish I could invite him to go swimming with me. He doesn't really swim.

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Back from the pool. I'll have you know I am not a complete misanthrope: I quite enjoyed watching the families playing in the small pool and even the teenagers were pleasant. It was very noisy; of course it was with all the kids on Sunday afternoon. It was nice. I'm so glad we have a Y and people can go there and have some good fun as a family. I didn't go in the sauna because it was too crowded, but made up for it with a blazing hot extremely long shower. Yes, I know it is not good for me or the environment. But it feels sooooooo d@mn good! I was red as a lobster when I got out and I had to drive home with the windows open even though it is 30 F.

I can't find my purple scrub pants! The horror!

Foodwise all is good. Fried up some carnitas, then added a couple of eggs and scrambled them around. All the usual fixings plus lemon over all. Did you know that lemon is really good with eggs? It is. Sounds odd, I know, but it is a great combination. I have put lemon on a lot of things, and I have never regretted it. Although I wish I had Meyer lemons.